Close Encounter
by dave-d
Summary: A blinding light. Waking up in a strange and miraculous place. Sousuke and Kaname were perplexed. Just what was going on? [Story changed significantly from prior version]


There was no sound whatsoever in the small cell.

Kaname stood up and ran her hands over the clear space in front of her, finding an unexpected resistance. There were no bars. But, she could not get past an unseen barrier.

"Sousuke?" She remembered being with Sousuke. Her mind was fuzzy, so she wasn't entirely clear what they had been doing. There had been a strange noise. There had been a blinding light. And then, there had been nothing.

"Kaname?" Sousuke sounded concerned. "Kaname, are you alright?"

"Yes," Kaname answered, feeling relieved. She didn't like being trapped like a rat; but, she felt better with Sousuke being nearby. "Where are we? What _is _this place?" Looking where she could, she noted that everything was a bland and featureless shade of white.

"I do not know" Sousuke admitted. She could here him tapping against the walls of his enclosure. "There appears to be advanced mechanisms. I would conjecture Black Technology. However, unless our abductors have come across technology that far eclipses Arm Slaves and the Lambda Drivers, I have a more worrisome hypothesis."

"Sousuke," Kaname said, making a face. "I'm tired… I'm scared… and I need to find a bathroom…" The small room she was tapped in had smooth surfaces. There were no cots, chairs, shelves, or holes in the floor. "I _don't_ want to hear any worrisome hypothesis." She kicked at the invisible wall, wincing when she bent the toe of her shoe back. Words could go through. Feet could not. "I want to go home."

There was no answer. The silence stretched on. Kaname began to fidget. Soon, she began to worry.

"Sousuke! Are you still there. _Sousuke!" _She felt her mouth going dry. Normally not claustrophobic, she imagined the walls closing in on her. **"Answer me!"**

"I am here, Kaname." Sousuke sounded nonplussed. "You said you did not want to hear my hypothesis. As such, I remained quiet." He was learning how to deal with the Whispered girl.

"Baka!" Kaname placed her face against the unseen barrier. It was cold and made her skin tingle. "Just talk to me, OK? Tell me what you think happened. It can't be Amalgam, _can_ it? We beat them, didn't we?" She had only been back for a few weeks. Foolishly, she had convinced herself that nothing else bad could happen, at least for a good while. Then, she ends up here, wherever _here _was!

"I cannot be certain, Kaname." Sousuke replied. "Before I blacked out, I saw what I thought was a large object descending. There was a glowing field around it, one which distorted my view." The sound of faint footsteps suggested that he was pacing, looking everything over. "Perhaps that was merely a different use for Lambda Driver technology." He paused. "But, it may be that Erich von Däniken and Zecharia Sitchin were not fabricators after all. There may indeed be something behind the Paleo-contact theory."

"Sousuke Sagara!" Kaname clenched her teeth and her fists. What was that big idiot babbling about _now? _"Did you bump your head or something? You sound like you were drugged." She frowned. Muttering under her breath she hoped he wasn't about to suffer an otaku breakdown or something.

"Negative," Sousuke answered. "As far as I can tell, I am in full control of my faculties. Your voice, on the other hand, shows an increased level of stress and anxiety."

"**OF _COURSE_ IT DOES YOU MUDDLE-HEADED MILITARY MORON!"**

"You also sound angry," Sousuke said. "But, as you intimated, that is a normal consequence of being kidnapped again. You said you wanted me to speak. I had assumed that meant you wanted to listen."

"Sous-_kaaa-aa-ay_…" Kaname fought to control her temper.

"Whether they are based on fact or not, there are theories that suggest human beings are descendants…creations… or experimental subjects… of extraterrestrials that landed on Earth millennia ago." Sousuke's voice didn't waver one bit as he said that. "Those are the so-called Ancient Astronaut theories. In _Chariots of the Gods_ and following books, von Däniken claimed that Artifacts have been found which appear to represent a higher level of technological knowledge that could have existed at times where they were built or buried.

"Ohhh… geee-ee-ez…." Kaname closed her eyes, leaned against a wall, and then slid slowly to the floor.

"Those artifacts include Stonehenge…." Sousuke was cut-off.

"A bunch of big rocks," Kaname griped, putting her face in her hands. "Wow…."

"The Easter Island statues…." Sousuke tried to continue.

"More big rocks," Kaname said, frowning. "Amazing…."

"There was also he clock-like Antikythera mechanism and the ancient Baghdad electric batteries." Sousuke plowed onward. "Similarly, in Nazca, Peru, the giant animal drawings are thought to have required the direction of men flying high above the ground."

"I just knew it.…" Kaname sighed. "Here he goes again…." Once Sousuke got on a roll, it would be easier to stop an A.S. with a butter knife.

"In addition, von Däniken reported that ancient art throughout the world demonstrates shapes and figures that illustrate astronauts alien vehicles, intelligent non-humans, and examples of advanced technology." Sousuke sounded like a walking encyclopedia. Kaname wondered how he could know all that stuff, but still have so much trouble with Japanese History. "The fact that the images are similar,_ despite _being from all corners of the world, was used as proof of authenticity."

"It's obviously some kind of hoax," Kaname said, sneering. "You can't possibly believe in that kind of thing. It's too farfetched to be real."

"I did not say whether I believed or doubted the theories," Sousuke said in his calm and annoying way. "If I were to tell you before we met that there people known as Whispered… that something like the Lambda Driver existed… that a young woman could be the Captain of the world's most advanced submarine… and that…."

"OK. Alright. Enough already. I get the point," Kaname shook her head. "If you told me stuff like that, I would have though you were a nut-case, just as I would have if you told me I would meet a boy who would carry guns to class… blow everything up… get me to chase him to Hong Kong… pretend to be a terrorist on a cruise ship…" She shook her head. This was just one more strange event to add to a long list of such. "But, I _could_ believe that Tessa was an alien…" She grinned.

"I probably should not follow through on that possibility," Sousuke said. He was silent for a few moments, before speaking again. "The topic would only frighten you. The possibility has always existed that Black Technology was placed in the Whispered by unknown beings, for undiscovered reasons."

"Thanks for not bringing that up," Kaname mumbledShe had ended up hoisted on her own petard. "Jerk!" She shivered. Her mind began grasping at random thoughts. Her imagination threatened to run wild and never return. If someone could put something in her head, did that mean they might want to take it back? Would they leave the head intact if they did?

"If you like, you can take comfort from the fact that experimenters and historians have made great progress in explaining how structures such as Stonehenge and the Pyramids were built." Sousuke wanted to calm Kaname down. "Most professionals of that sort regard von Däniken's writings to be pseudo-science. They are convinced that he drew far-reaching conclusions from little evidence, while disregarding more suitable alternative hypotheses."

"So why didn't you tell me the better and less frightening theories, you big stupid head?" Kaname swallowed hard. Sousuke's reassurances did not make the lump in her throat go away. Her stomach still felt somewhat queasy.

"I am merely trying to view things from all possible angles," Sousuke remarked. "You have tried to 'knock that into my head' in the past, when I acted too impulsively." He paused. "My head _does_ feel sore now. Perhaps I did indeed suffer a head injury, and this is all a dream or hallucination."

"Don't be any more stupid than you have to be," Kaname said, putting her hand on her forehead in a pseudo-dramatic pose. "I'm here. I'm awake. I'm thinking and talking. This can't be your dream."

"Perhaps you are correct," Sousuke said. "The bumps may well be from _you. _I have vague memory of the halisen." He paused. "As I was saying, nothing is certain. For example, miraculous tales of gods, demi-gods, and heroes could all be interpreted as advanced technologies being described from the perspective of a ancient men."

"It couldn't have been ancient _women," _Kaname said to herself. _"_Women would be embarrassed to write stuff like that." She turned her nose up.

"It is a common thread in fictional works," Sousuke said, ignoring Kaname's quip. "Numerous written works made reference to ancient astronauts. There are movies and television series based on the premise that alien beings posed as gods and influenced human culture."

"I don't care what… wait a minute… _what_ did you say…" Kaname began banging her head against the force field. "Now it's coming back to me… _now_ I remember…"

"Kaname?" Sousuke asked.

"It was movie night," Kaname replied. "We were at your apartment this time. You were hooked on watching movies about men from outer space, after Kurz claimed to see a UFO during a mission, even though Melissa said that he had been suffering from oxygen depravation." She came close to snarling. "You were talking UFO gibberish all day."

"Affirmative," Sousuke said. "I remember that as well. We watched Close Encounters Of The Third Kind."

"Boring," Kaname griped. "Stupid looking aliens."

"Independence Day," Sousuke added, cut off when he tried to say more.

"You spent the whole movie complaining how things were wrong." Kaname shook her head. "Just like you did during that war movie you dragged me, Mizuke, and her friends to once." She made a snorting sound. "You _did_ like the explosions, though."

"The X-file Movie," Sousuke mentioned.

"I've had my fill of conspiracies, thank you!" Kaname said. "Besides, there was romantic tension, but never any sign of romance. _Hmmmpppfff!" _She sighed and added 'I've had my fill of _that, _too." She didn't bother elucidating.

"Kaname?" Sousuke sounded perplexed.

"Never mind, Sousuke. I'm a patient girl." Kaname stood a little straighter, a faraway look in her eye. "But, not patient enough to sit through that Tom Cruise movie ever again…"

"War Of The Worlds," Sousuke said. "Based on the work of…" Sousuke was interrupted again.

"I _hate_ Tom Cruise!" Kaname frowned. The way she said that ended the conversation about movies they had watched. "Hold on… this is just too big a coincidence… if you…"

"Kaname? What thing that I did not do are you going to blame me for this time?" Sousuke sounded resigned to his fate.

"Anything I _want, _you big scruffy moron!" Kaname stamped her foot. _"Geee-ee-ez…" _She began walking around the perimeter of her small cell. "This is probably some kind of practical joke you're trying to pull off." She chuckled. "I bet Kurz and Melissa are in on it. Tessa too, because of the fancy technology. This must be a Mithril base."

"I assure you, that is _not _the case, Kaname." Sousuke sounded adamant. "What purpose would that serve? We are professionals. Our resources are limited during the rebuilding stages."

"Sure, sure. I believe you Sousuke. You always _were_ a terrible liar." Kaname laughed. "Soon enough, some loser is going to walk out here dressed in some kind of cheesy alien costume. He'll probably take you away, pretending to want you for experiments. Maybe even one of those rectal probe thingies some of those people talk about… the ones who swear they were abducted. Then, I'll be left all alone, and someone will film me getting upset." That all reminded her of Reality TV shows, and she really loathed that kind of stuff!

"Kaname. That…" Sousuke couldn't get another word in.

"Or…." Kaname put her hands on her hips and made a face. "The fake alien will probably say they are going to take me to be impregnated." She narrowed her eyes. "If it's Kurz… and he lays a single finger on me… I'll make sure he never gets _anyone _pregnant…. prank or no prank…."

"If there _are_ indeed alien beings involved…" Sousuke sounded like he was strongly considering the possibility. "… I suggest you do not anger them inappropriately. They might end up treating us more harshly than necessary, should you speak to them the way you speak to me."

"You deserve what you get," Kaname claimed. "And if there _are _aliens, they'll deserve what they get too." She harrumphed again. "Nice try though, mister. You won't fool me, though." She snapped her fingers and smiled. "_That's_ why you know so much about UFOs. That's why you've been spouting so much nonsense."

"You are mistaken. UFO's are not nonsense, Kaname. Not in the least." Sousuke spoke firmly. "A UFO… or Unidentified Flying Object… is merely any object or optical phenomenon observed in the sky which cannot be identified through logical and conventional means, even after being thoroughly investigated by qualified people." He began exploring his surroundings again. "They do not necessarily imply anything about extraterrestrial life. They are merely objects that qualified individuals cannot make sense of."

"**U**… **F**… **O**…." Kaname spat the letters out angrily. "…Could just as well stand for Unbelievable Freaking Otaku! Your behavior does not suggest a logical, conventional explanation, and there are _no_ people who could possibly make sense of you." She kicked at the invisible barrier again. "UFOs are nothing but hoaxes! Only idiots believe in stuff like that. _Sheee-ee-esh! _Little green men coming to earth secretly… doing who knows what…" She shook her head. "If they are so advanced, why do they have to keep things secret? If they are so smart, why do they let people catch any sight of them if they don't want to be seen? If they want to invade, what's taking them so long? If they want to be our friends, why stay quiet? Why not use small satellites someone would never catch sight of? How could anyone possibly cover the distance between stars that could support any kind of life?"

"That was a lot of words for you," Sousuke remarked. "And, your arguments were very logical." He had thought similar things himself at various times.

"Are you trying to tell me that I'm talking too much, Sousuke?" Kaname's voice went up an octave. "Are you saying that I'm becoming more like a certain sergeant… one I usually can't pull words out of with a pair of pliers, but who torments me with a barrage of words when I'm trapped in a cage?" There was no doubt that 'No' was the only sane answer. "Are… you… saying… that… I'm… usually… _il_logical…"

"Uhhh-hh-h…." Sousuke paused. He wisely chose not to answer the questions. "Back to the earlier topic. Perhaps Black Technology has been around longer than anyone might surmise. In the historical records, there are many discrepancies between what people have seen, and what we can prove today. In fact…."

"La la _laaa-aa-a_…" Kaname put her fingers in her ears. "I'm not listen_iiii-iii-ii-ing_…." She promised to make Sousuke pay big time, if this _was_ some kind of joke, whether he knew it was a prank or not. Separated from him physically … and without access to the paper fan she had started using again… there was no way for her to stop his otaku rampage. Thinking that she must look silly, she removed the fingers.

"The army of Alexander the Great, in 329 B.C., saw what they described as two silver shields in the sky, something that had also been mentioned a number of times in Ancient Roman records." Sousuke couldn't find any weak areas in the material making up his holding area. There were no exposed controls; no air vents; and no identifiable source of light. "It is possible that the people who reported such things may well have misinterpreted natural phenomena. However, in those times, there were no weather balloons… flashing passenger jet lights… artificial satellites in low orbit… search lights… or lasers being aimed at clouds. It is doubtful they were describing planets; high-altitude ice crystals; meteor swarms; flocks of birds; or hot ionized gas."

"Someone seems to be full of hot air…" Kaname grumped. "Either air, or something else…" She turned up her nose.

"In 1235 A.D. the army of Oritsume in Japan saw mysterious lights in the sky. Other similar appearances occurred in this country in 1361. " Sousuke continued despite Kaname's increasingly vocal objections. He sounded as if he were trying to keep her distracted from their situation. If that was his plan, it was working. "In 1561 the skies over Nuremberg were filled with a host of strange objects, looking like large cylinders and spheres. By accounts, they engaged in an aerial battle. This event was witnessed by hundreds of people, as was similar to an occurrence that took place in Basel in 1566, where numerous flaming black globes appeared. "

"_Really?" _Kaname swallowed hard. For a few moments, she felt short of breath. The hair on the back of her neck felt as if it was standing on end. Her bravado cracked momentarily, and she began entertaining thoughts she did not really want to consider. Taking a deep breath, she told herself there were rational explanations for that kind of thing. There _had_ to be!

"Yes," Sousuke said. "None of those descriptions sound like ball lightning or other natural phenomena. Balloons did not exist in large enough numbers to explain things. There were no helicopters or unconventional military aircraft." He tapped at intervals along the edges of the invisible screen. There were no perceptible changes in the force field. "The British reported mystery airships in the early 1900s, as did the Americans. There were stories of Foo-fighters in World War II, luminous balls that followed airplanes from both sides. Just after the war, a wave of ghost rockets was reportedly seen over Scandinavian nations."

He paused, as if questioning the validity of the things that he had read. "In 1957, a NASA astronaut claimed that a classic saucer-shaped aircraft landed at Edwards Air Force Base . Ten years prior to that, a pilot reported seeing saucer-shaped objects flying at high speed near Mt. Rainier in Washington state. Less than a month later, a rancher discovered a large amount of unusual debris scattered widely over his land, seventy-five miles northwest of Roswell, New Mexico."

"People will say _anything_ to get attention," Kaname said, noting that her mouth was dry. "Everyone likes mysterious. Towns like to keep stories alive to attract tourists, so they can make money." She needed to find some way to shut Sousuke up before she became a nervous wreck. His talking had distracted her at first. Now it was making her very nervous. Oh. Yes. That would work….

"That is true," Sousuke admitted. "It is also true that…" He was interrupted again.

"You _know_, Sousuke…" Kaname tried to speak in a coquettish voice. "If we _were _kidnapped by aliens…" She was practically purring. "They might expect us to be Adam and Eve." She felt her face grow warm when she pictured him in a fig-leaf and nothing more.

"**Uhhh**…." Sousuke sounded like he knew who Adam and Eve were.

"They will probably put us in the same room eventually." Kaname smiled, feeling quite wicked. _"Naked." _Even though she had finally coaxed Sousuke into dating, and they had shared numerous platonic smooches, she was still waiting for her first really romantic kiss. She couldn't help but fantasize about that and more.

"**Uhhh-hh-h**…." Sousuke's utterance sounded higher pitched.

"We might not be given any food unless we… _you know_…" She also laughed, picturing Sousuke's face. "The aliens might want us to father a slave race or something." She wondered if she could ever have said these things in any other situation. "We would have to be pretty busy. Day in. Day out. Week days. Weekends. Holidays, too."

"**Uhhhh-hhh-hh-h**..." Sousuke cleared his throat. "In?" He coughed. "And out?" His voice came out as little more than a squeak.

"That's right!" Kaname answered. She suddenly wondered if Sousuke would ever want to become intimate with her. "You wouldn't… ummm… you wouldn't mind that, _would _you?" She rubbed her fingers together. "I mean… ummm… if there was no other choice…" She had seen signs of his true feelings on their way back to Tokyo. But, once she had been safe again, he had begun acting like he had prior to Amalgam's big move. No, he had regressed some.

"**Uhhhhh-hhhh-hhh-hh-h**…" Sousuke was barely audible.

"_Well?" _Kaname narrowed her eyes and clenched her teeth. That 'uhhh' should have been a denial, even though she would have called him a pervert if he said he wouldn't mind.

"Uhhh…" Sousuke coughed again. "If it was… should we have no choice… I… it…" He went silent. If Kaname could see him, she'd be amazed at the amount of sweat drops on his face.

"So you must think it would be pretty terrible then?" Kaname tensed up. Suddenly, that issue was nearly as important as their being held captive, joke or no joke. "You won't have to worry about it!" She tossed her hair.

"Kaname… I would…" Sousuke stopped again. He wasn't sure just what he would do. His feelings for Kaname kept growing; but, there were so many things about himself that he didn't understand. He didn't even know where to begin. "I have no experience with this kind of thing…."

"Huh?" Kaname changed tack. "It's something you _would_ want?" She frowned. Being who she was, her brief feelings of relief and smug satisfaction gave way to fault finding and a need to put Sousuke in his place. "So… what you're saying is…. you'd take advantage of me under conditions like that?" This time it was her voice that raised in pitch. She knew that she was arguing both sides. It didn't matter. Sousuke would survive. That which didn't kill him would make him stronger.

"I… you… it would be…" Sousuke sighed and hung his head. It might be simpler to understand extraterrestrial life. "I don't know. I think anything would be acceptable, as long as you were safe."

"Oh," Kaname smiled, rocking slowly from side to side. "That's nice." After that, she could forgive him anything.

"I would add that our being used for sexual reproduction studies would be far preferable than other things that have been claimed about abduction phenomenon." Sousuke sounded like he was building up steam again.

"Sous-kay.…" Kaname pressed her lips tightly together. He could at least have let her enjoy a few pleasant moments.

"One common assertion would have people believe that non-human creatures kidnap humans for medical testing," Sousuke said. "While many such encounters are described as terrifying or humiliating, others describe them as transforming, empowering, and even pleasant."

"_Sous-kaaa-aa-ay_…" Kaname banged against the force screen. If he didn't stop with his incessant rambling, she would teach him the meaning of terror and humiliation.

"After being abducted, the kidnap victims experience a blank period, followed by brief amnesia." Sousuke paused. "Much the way that _we_ did." He stopped again. "I cannot deny the possibility that such abductions take place. However, there are alternative explanations, such as hallucination, temporary schizophrenia, and sleep paralysis. One could also consider the supposed memories to be a confused memory of past events, such as sexual abuse."

"**SOUS-KAAAAA-AAAA-AAA-AA-AY!" **Kaname shouted. "I… was… _not_… sexually… abused… or… anything…."

"I am very glad to hear that, Kaname." Sousuke closed his eyes for a moment. He couldn't help but remember being kept captive in the past. He remembered his torture after Nami's death all too well. "Did you know that a number of authorities have noticed consistent parallels between alien abduction and satanic ritual abuse." Sousuke continued. Kaname's shouting ran off him like water off a duck's back. He had become used to it. "I should also add that events reported during purported abductions have parallels in anthropology, folklore and religion. There are some people who believe that demons exist, or faeries. I.…" He was unable to finish.

"_Oooooo-oooo-ooo-oo-oh_… I can't take any more." Kaname slumped to the floor. "There are no such things as aliens. Do you hear me? No such things!" She rubbed at her temples. There had been a time when she practically needed to use red hot tongs to pull a word or two out of Sousuke. She remembered an old saying: be careful what you ask for, you might get it. "If there _are_… why couldn't that have taken only one of us away?" Preferably him!

"If you wish… you may ask them that…" Sousuke's voice had changed dramatically. He was standing taller, examining something while trying to maintain his composure. Despite all of the wondrous and unbelievable things that he had seen and done, there was obviously something that topped all that.

"**THERE… ARE… _NO_… SUCH… THINGS… AS… ALIENS… YOU… BIG… JERK…"**

When Kaname looked up, her mouth fell open. She felt as if the blood had drained out of her face. Standing in front of her enclosure were two creatures the like of which she had never seen before, except in science fiction movies. They were short humanoids with grey skin and lustrous grey clothing. Their heads were huge and pear-shaped, with enormous, dark eyes.

"S-… S-… S-.…" At first, she was trying to call over to Sousuke. But, she developed a tic in one eye and started to grin. "S-… So ridiculous." She smiled. "Could you be any _more_ cliché?"

"Kaname. I believe those are _true_ extraterrestrials." Sousuke had seen something that Kaname had not. The aliens had made a number of limb movements that would be impossible for any human but the best contortionist or side show freak.

"Right! Sure! You're not in on the joke, _are _you?" Kaname smirked. "E.T. phone home. Take me to your leader. Gort, _Klaatu barada nikto_." She remembered that last line from another movie that Sousuke had made her watch once. "To boldly go where no woman has gone before…."

"Excuse me," Sousuke motioned to the strange figures. "My name is Sousuke Sagara. Can you tell me precisely where we are, and why we have been brought here?" He looked over on a strange table like structure across the curved space outside his room. His weapons bag was there.

"I don't find this very funny, Sousuke." Kaname's voice had a deadly edge to it. That big jerk should know that he was in for a world of hurt! "When I get out of here, you'll pay." She glared at the alien figures. "You guys first!" She wondered how anyone they knew could duck down low enough in those costumes, and not seem misshapen or contorted. Straining her eyes, she couldn't see any strings either, to suggest those were puppets instead. Could they be holograms? That might be the answer, if Tessa or some other genius was involved in the prank.

"It appears that our brief observation of the pair prior to collection has proven correct," one alien said out loud, its voice strangely mangled, as if it lacked teeth, tongue, or both. "Likewise, our observation of their activities since they regained consciousness has proven corroborative."

"Correct," the other alien said. "The female is the dominant one. Not only that, it is by far the more violent one of the pair." It cocked its head in a strange manner. "That appears at odds with previous cursory observations of their species. But, we have not given this planet the attention that our competitors have."

"Indeed," the first alien said. "By all accounts, the data we intercepted suggested that the female of the species was far more talkative, often conversing in a manner that made little sense, or was designed to overwhelm the limited mental capacities of the males." It flexed three fingered hands in ways that would be impossible if they contained bones. "Yet, the male was the one doing most of the speaking."

"And, it was the one which sounded more advanced intellectually." The taller of the two extraterrestrials walked over to a podium-shaped structure and waved its hand over glowing spheres. That caused the barrier on Sousuke's cage to disappear.

"If that's _you, _Shinji, I suggest you stay home sick a few days. Otherwise I'm going to rip up any pictures of Arm Slaves I see, and stomp your dating sims into the floor." Kaname watched as Sousuke stuck his hand out past his room. She tried the same unsuccessfully, getting even more miffed. "And if _you're_ in one of those suits, Ono-D, you're going to wish that bio-agent you drank was fatal after all." Enraged again, she kicked at the force field, hurt her toe again, and began hopping around the room on one foot for a while.

"It may be best to sedate the female when we study it," the shorter alien remarked. "That will preclude verbal responses and direct cerebral stimulation; but, the reproductive organs will still function, and we will be able to procure whatever tissue samples we wish."

"There is sense in your suggestion," the other alien said. "However, I detect traces of developmental meddling in her mental emanations and biological rhythms." It turned dark soulless eyes on Kaname. "She may be a seed project from one of the other trans-galactic races. We will not be able to confirm that with her unconscious."

"Y-… Y-… You're _not _scaring me," Kaname said. Squaring her shoulders, she tossed her hair. This had to be a joke of some kind. There was no way this could be real. "I know you guys are fakes." She looked over at Sousuke. Why was the big dope just standing there? Why hadn't he grabbed his weapons bag and done what he always did? Probably because it _was_ a hoax! But, he could have used blanks or something to put on a convincing show before they all yelled 'Gotcha!'

"Why should you think us fakes?" The one alien spoke to both Kaname and Sousuke telepathically. That had Kaname's eyes going wide. She almost lost bowl and bladder control. "We have not lied to you, or attempted to deceive you in any fashion."

"It is natural for human beings to be doubtful and paranoid," Sousuke said. "There are those amongst us who are adept at saying things other than they feel, or doing things that are at odds with expectations." He rubbed the back of his neck. There was a welt there. Maybe from some kind of injection.

"You… got… _that_… right…" Kaname was shaking, and disoriented; but, her response to Sousuke was innate and preprogrammed. "And _you_ are the worst of the bunch!" Her thoughts flew like frightened birds, as she desperately sought some kind of rational explanation. Tessa. She was Whispered. Whispered could speak mind to mind. That must be it! Tessa must be disguising her mental voice somehow.

"I detect an element of exaggeration and mistruth in her vocalizations," the one alien said. "That is indeed a female trait. No doubt this male is docile and subservient. The images we have intercepted in the past must have been fantasies, ways for the male of the species to make itself feel in control, and to gain themselves undeserved self esteem. No wonder so many of their action-based media is unbelievable."

"Indeed. As for this pair, the female may wish for us to view the male as the greater danger, so that she may catch us off guard at some point." The other extraterrestrial being opened a large drawer without moving in any manner. Large cylindrical shapes protruded upward out of the drawer. They contained needles, and were filled with liquids of various colors. "That is easily circumvented." Kaname bit her lip, seeing that. She remembered the woman scientist in Khanka, the one who had fired to pistol shots near her, ordered her stooges to hold her down, and took out a hypodermic needle dripping with an experimental drug.

"You do not need to medicate the female," Sousuke said, using the same word that the aliens chose to use. "Her behavior will improve when I have been removed from her presence." He frowned when Kaname said 'Damn straight'. Thinking quickly, he cringed, as if Kaname's disapproval affected him adversely. He was formulating a plan in his mind. He only hoped that the telepathic ability of the aliens could not be used to read thoughts. "I… I do not think… I do not think that I will be of any voluntary use if she remains hostile towards me." He ducked down and cowered in a corner of his holding cell.

"We will leave her behind when we examine you," the one alien said. "We would prefer that you be exposed to as little stress as possible."

"Also, we need to assess your voluntary responses." The second extraterrestrial took a collar out of an opening that appeared in one flat wall surface. Waving his hand over it, he caused it to pulse with numerous colors. "It would be useless and misleading, should the female tell you everything you should say or do."

"True," the taller alien said. "Even though that seems to be the norm for inter-sexual relations." It made a motion that would be shrugging in a human. "We should do as much as we can with this pair. We were very fortunate to have reached this planet without being detected by our foes. We may not get another sample like this. One of each species… similar ages… robust in physical health…."

"But," the second alien put in. "These two seem incompatible. That may prove problematic when we reach the home world."

"**No!" **Sousuke shouted and ran frantically for the other side of the larger curved room, even though he saw no practical place to hide or put up any defense. His actions were merely a ruse. **"I will not go with you!"** Sousuke made as if he was trying to climb a strangely sloped wall, sliding back down each time he jumped up. He had seen animals do that in pet shops, when he tagged along with Kaname on her shopping trips.

"Please… calm down…." One alien began checking Sousuke's biological readout on a monitor.

"**I know what you want to do!" **Sousuke's voice practically resonated with terror. He had their abductors entirely convinced he was truly afraid of something. Fortunately for him, his play acting did indeed affect his vital signs, so that a change registered on the metering devices. **"Don't try to convince me you are friendly**!" He darted outside of the small room, into the larger enclosure.

"That one seems rather excitable," one alien said. "That is unfortunate."

"True," the other creature said. "Perhaps it will calm down if we allow it a period of mating."

"**NOT WITH HER!" **Sousuke began running again, circling what turned out to be a torroidal-shaped room as if he were a hamster in an exercise wheel. "**ANY FEMALE BUT HER!" **He fell to the floor and began quivering, even though his non-human kidnappers hand not used any of their advanced technology on him. Voice muffled by the fabric of his sleeves, he said "She's violent… she's irrational… she's the last female on earth that I would mate with.…"

"I'll remember that…" Kaname was too angry to be frightened. "Oh yes… I will _certainly_ remember that…" She went stiff. Somewhere during those exchanges, she had gone from being skeptical to accepting the aliens as being real. She clenched her teeth and tensed up. She didn't know what to believe.

Sousuke kept repeating 'I know what you're going to do.'

"What is it that you think we intend for you, human male." The one alien began walking towards Sousuke, holding the collar in front of it. The gleaming device was opened wide enough to be placed around his neck before being snapped shut.

"Perhaps if we promise to you not to do that thing, you will calm down." The other alien worked a number of bizarrely shaped controls, causing table-like shapes and items of unknown purpose to extend out from the featureless wall, floor, and ceiling.

"**DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!" **Sousuke was sitting on the floor. He began pushing himself backward on the slick onyx-colored surface. He got closer and closer to his weapons bag, hoping that everything was still in place, and that the bag wasn't held inside a stasis field or something. He would take any chance given him, praying that the ship wouldn't react instantaneously to its masters' thoughts. "Please… don't come any closer… I beg you…" He hid his face in his hands. "I know what you want."

"Tell us your assumptions," the one alien said. "We will tell you if you have reason to fear them."

"There was a television show once..." Sousuke said. "...The Twilight Zone." Sousuke peered out from behind spread fingers. He was surprised that an advanced race did not know humans better than these creatures seemed to. They had made mention of other space traveling cultures. Perhaps they were kept away by other species. "It was an episode titled 'To Serve Man'. From the year 1962 in human reckoning."

"Great," Kaname said. "He's talking again." She sighed. "Maybe he can drive the bug-eyed freaks crazy, the way he does _me."_

"Why should this show discomfort you?" The one alien put the collar down for the moment. It continued to send rainbows of light around the one part of the room. He pushed a number of keys on a touch pad marked with indecipherable symbols. "In the language known as English, the word _serve_ means to work, or work for somebody. It can also mean to attend to customers, especially in a store, and provide them with goods, supplies, or services. Alternatively, serve means to be a member of an armed force, especially in wartime."

Sousuke shook his head, still pretending to be mortified by his captors. Kaname narrowed her eyes looking at him. She opened her mouth to tell the big idiot to stop putting on some kind of act, but thought better of it.

The other alien accessed another source of data. "In the Urban Slang Dictionary, based on the same language, the word _serve _can refer to the act of putting down another person so perfectly that all they can do is say 'I just got served'. It can also mean to deliver a swift and decisive round of ass whoopin." It looked at Sousuke. "What is ass whoopin?" Sousuke didn't make any effort to answer. "It can also mean to school or humiliate someone by dancing crazy moves, or to get revenge on somebody by making them realize what they missed. It also appears to be a word used in drug transactions, where one is the dealer. It says here that serve is another word for giving head." The creature made a strange gesture, wondering if the human race might actually be cannibalistic. "What is that in reference to?" Seeing that Sousuke was unresponsive, it directed that question to Kaname.

Kaname's eyes went wide. She felt her cheeks grow warm.

"The Kanamit… the aliens in the story… spoke to assembled humans telepathically, just the way that you did to us." Sousuke crouched down even further. "The alien speaker said that his people had come as friends, with a desire to help the earth, and with hopes of setting up reciprocal visits to their planet. They had noticed that the earth was plagued by both natural and unnatural calamities, ones which they had means to correct." He took a deep breath and sat straighter, uncovering his face. "They offered a new kind of power source… an end to famine…and a force field to be used as a defense shield. The Kanamit stated 'We wish only that you simply trust us,' leaving a book behind when he departed."

"We should take note of this," the one alien said. "These methods may work for our race, should we regain galactic dominance."

"If you listen to anything that moron says, you're whole race is doomed," Kaname said, making a sour face. The aliens were spooky in their own way, but she had been more frightened by Gauron's cheerful lunacy and Leonard's deceptively unctuous mannerisms. "So keep talking Sousuke!" She wondered why he made the face he did.

"The female… her words…" Sousuke crouched down. "I… it…"

"Silence the female," one alien said. The other raised a glowing rod, causing Kaname to step back against the wall of her enclosure, and tempting Sousuke to make a rush for his weapons. But, the rod merely made it so that sound could enter the cage, but not leave it.

"A decoding expert began working on the book," Sousuke said, when he pretended to regain his 'lost' composure. "It was an exceedingly difficult task. But, they determined that the words to the title were 'To Serve Man.' In time, the countries of the world offered their thanks, as deserts become gardens, and armies were disbanded."

"These would be good results, would they not?" The one alien asked, sounding puzzled.

"Perhaps it should have read 'To Serve Woman'," the other being offered. "If the females became sufficiently angered, the males might have become useless and unable to reproduce. Extinction would result."

"There is more to the story," Sousuke said quickly. "Later in the show, we were shown people standing in line to board spaceships, as the flights to the Kanamit's planet began. The passengers were weighed upon entry. They spoke to one another about the upcoming events as if they were headed out on a pleasant vacation. As the man character begins to ascend the steps, a woman who cared for him rushed up, telling him not to get on the ship. She had made a terrible discovery. The book… To Serve Man… was a cook book." He put both hands over his face. "Another meaning for the word serve is to prepare and supply food, and to present food or drink in a particular way."

"They do _not _seem very palatable," the one alien said to the other.

"Probably not," the other said. "But in some of the images that we intercepted, the males were seen with their mouths on the frontal protuberances of the females, or the females are seen attached to appendages that the males keep hidden away under their lower clothing."

"Curious," the taller alien said. "Perhaps that will warrant future study."

Kaname's eyes went very large again . She felt a bit dizzy.

"The… the man in the story… the man was forced onto the ship." Sousuke stood up, and backed against the nearest surface. "When he is offered a meal, he tossed it on the floor. A Kanamit entered the room… retrieved the food… and handed it back to the man saying 'Eat. We wouldn't want you to lose weight.' The man then faced the camera and spoke as if conversing directly with the television audience. He said that it didn't matter if a human was on the ship, or back on the earth. Either way, they were all on the menu."

Kaname was speaking, but none of the words were coming through. She didn't want Sousuke to give the aliens any ideas.

Sousuke made as if he was trembling more and more violently. "The… the narrator… the man narrating the show said 'The recollections of one Michael Chambers, with appropriate flashbacks and soliloquy. Or more simply stated, the evolution of man, the cycle of going from dust to dessert, the metamorphosis from being the ruler of a planet to an ingredient in someone's soup. It's tonight's bill of fare on The Twilight Zone'."

"I see," the shorter extraterrestrial said. "You fear we wish to consume you." It made an indescribable gesture. "You should have no fear of that."

"Correct," the other creature said. "This is not a culinary visit." It worked another series of controls. The items that appeared earlier now began to pulse with a strange dark light. "We have received no word that _any_ race has put your species on the harvest list."

Once again, Sousuke made it look as if her was regaining his composure. He stood tall and relaxed, occasionally making it a point to dart glances in Kaname's directions. The looks he caught from her worried him almost as much as his captors did.

"I can assure with no prevarication that we have no plans to eat you," the second alien said, verbally and telepathically.

"That… that's a relief…" Sousuke replied. "But, I also have no desire for a close encounter of the sixth kind. I will not cooperate in anything that may result in such an outcome."

"This manner of discussion does not match data that we have on file," the taller alien said. "Elucidate." It nodded to the other alien, who accessed a machine that showed a live feed of Sousuke on one curved wall. No doubt they were intending to record his answer.

"A close encounter of the _first_ kind is a sighting of an unidentified flying object or objects." Sousuke inched closer to his bag, acting as if he was captivated by his own image on the wall.

"A close encounter of the first kind is having something run past you quickly, without being able identify it." Kaname was the only one who could hear her words. "Otakus late for class fit in that category."

"A close encounter of the _second_ kind is an observation of physical evidence of extra-terrestrial visitation." Sousuke said. "Footprints… radiation damage to terrain… circular designs in crop fields… things of that type."

"A close encounter of the second kind is finding one of Sousuke's grenades in the classroom," Kaname said, making a face. "Or finding spent clips… primer cord… bullet holes in the wall… smoking lockers…."

"A close encounter of the_ third _kind is an observation of occupants associated with spacecraft." Sousuke moved away from the bag for a moment, keeping his motions purposely random. He then moved nearer to his weapons than before. "Some people have referred to alien abductions as close encounters of the _fourth _kind. The category would also include instances where a human willingly accompanies non-humans."

"Wrong… wrong… _wrong_…" Kaname said. "A close encounter of the third kind is witnessing a certain sergeant tackling a teacher… jumping off of a moving train… piloting an Arm Slave made from am amusement park mascot costume…" She shook her head. With everything that she had seen, coming across aliens was not that big of a deal. "And the fourth kind, _that's_ when you have a teenage operative from a secret organization follow you everywhere you go, making a major mess of your life!"

"A close encounter of the _fifth_ kind involves direct communication between an extraterrestrial intelligence and a human being." Sousuke looked over at Kaname for a moment. He was impressed that she had not shown any signs of hysteria. She often showed more emotional instability than this when he forgot the homework he borrowed from her… brought clothes-eating bacteria to school… or said something complimentary about Captain Testarossa. "The fifth kind was supposed to be the rarest and most controversial form of close encounter ."

"The rarest kind of encounter would be actually holding an intelligent conversation with a clueless military freak who always gets you kidnapped by someone. Terrorists. Enemy organizations. Yakuza. Angry gang members. Mitril agents pretending to be terrorists. Stupid ugly aliens." Kaname threw her hands up in the air. "No. Better call that close encounters of the _infinity_ kind!" She looked over at Sousuke. "The fifth kind is hearing him talking about weapons… aliens… MREs… military protocol… _everything_…"

"My point of concern… a close encounter of the _sixth_ kind… involves the death of a human being or other animal during a witnessed encounter." Sousuke inched along the wall away from one alien that had moved to approach him from the other side. He was now within reach of his bag. "For example, witnesses reporting UFOs flying above fields where cattle has been mutilated."

Kaname didn't have anything to say after _that. _Her bravado evaporated. She felt like an animal at a zoo or pet shop. She started to worry that she would be like one of the little white rats that were routinely sacrificed to further humankind's fund of knowledge.

"We are not of the race that routinely slaughters bovine quadrupeds for recreational purposes. For 'kicks,' as some people call it," one alien said. "No doubt that is usually done by juveniles who are experiencing their first trip to a target world."

"If we promise not to end your life or the life of the female, will you cooperate freely?" The other alien was carrying the collar now. "Will that cause you to become calm, so that our data will not be inaccurate?"

"What… what do you…" Sousuke prepared for his move. Doubtless, he would get only one chance. "What precisely do you intend to _do_…"

"For you, organ sampling… obedience modifications… implantation of devices…" The shorter alien looked over at Kaname. "We would also make use of the rectal probe. The female's earlier comment to you is worth pursuing."

"I'm sorry, Sousuke." Kaname brought her hand to her mouth. She couldn't pull her gaze away from one particular instrument that was glowing and making strange sounds.

"For the female, it will be something more important." The taller alien removed its clothing. Its body was smooth and featureless. "We will use her to create hybrid creatures from my genetic material and hers."

The unmentionable organ that then protruded from his lower anatomy had Kaname feeling nauseous. "No way…"She whispered.

"Is there something in that bag you wish?" One of the extraterrestrials asked Sousuke. "I can almost pick an image of some kind of object out of your thoughts. You appear anxious. There is a sense of anticipation."

"There is medication that will help calm me," Sousuke lied. "I have more than enough reason to be anxious. If you were monitoring our actions prior to pick-up, you would have seen the female striking me hard with the bag. I have a suspicion that she may do so again, should she be released in my presence. That might be worse than organ sampling and the rectal probe."

The one alien stood silently for a moment. It turned to look at the other. No doubt they were communicating telepathically. "You are permitted," the taller of the pair said.

"Thank you," Sousuke said. It was time. An idea came to mind. It shouldn't work on any human with near normal intelligence. But, it might be entirely new to an alien race.

"**LOOK!" **Sousuke pointed**. "THE FEMALE! SHE'S _DYING!"_**

Both aliens turned to look at Kaname. It was a fatal mistake. That, and not making an earlier effort to examine the contents of the bag. The first thing that alerted them to Sousuke's intentions were the 9mm bullets that tore through their overly large heads and shield-shaped torsos. Blue-green blood left slimy trails on the wall as they slid down to sit dying on the floor.

"I suppose that will qualify as a close encounter of the _seventh_ kind," Sousuke said. "Aliens dying during a witnessed encounter."

"Seven is my lucky number," Kaname remarked. Then, she frowned. "What took you so long, you big idiot?" Sousuke still couldn't hear her.

"But… it appeared… that the…" The taller alien struggled to speak. "…Female… was… the… violent… one…"

"It was…" The other alien slowly tipped over onto its side. "…An honest… mistake…"

"Well, this must make your day, Sousuke." Kaname watched as the eyes on both aliens glazed over and their bodies went completely limp. "Boy meets intelligent race… boy speaks with intelligent race… boy _kills_ intelligent race…" She almost fell face first, when the barrier she was leaning against disappeared. That was the first clue that the aliens were both dead.

"I hope that those were the only two extraterrestrials onboard," Sousuke said, loading a fresh clip.

"_Really?" _Kaname just realized something. "Then _who_ exactly is supposed to fly the ship?" If that knucklehead had just signed their death warrant, then she would strap him to the table and activate the probe!

"Uhhh…" Sousuke hadn't thought that far ahead. He pointed up at the wall. Alien symbols were projected on it, glowing in changing colors. A mechanical voice called out in a language foreign to their planet. Next, a view of the earth was shown. It was growing rapidly larger.

"I should have _known_ that you'd be the death of me, Sergeant Shoot First and Ask Questions Later." Kaname bit her lip. She looked over at Sousuke. There were so many things that she had wanted to do in her life. Sighing, she realized that there were things she wanted to say while there was still time.

"Kaname?" Sousuke swallowed hard when Kaname walked over to stand in front of him. He fully expected her to kick him in the shin or slap his face. Instead she put her arms around his neck.

"There's not much time left, Sousuke." Kaname looked back at the screen. She could make out the continents hiding beneath the swirling clouds covering the growing globe. "There's something I want to tell you." She put her head against his. "I love you." It wasn't the first time she had said that. But, it was the first time that she had said it and meant it with every ounce of her being.

There was a long pause. "You are important to me too, Kaname." Sousuke put his arms around her, tentatively at first. Taking a deep breath, he tightened his embrace. "You are the most important person in my life."

"Well?" Kaname asked.

"Kaname?" Sousuke raised one eyebrow. He had been as honest and as forthright as he knew how to be.

"Aren't you going to kiss me?" Kaname moved back a bit and looked in his eyes. She wanted that long steamy romantic kiss.

"Wouldn't this be a better time to worry about our survival?" Sousuke pointed at the view screen. He had no idea what magnification it was set at, or how much time they had before re-entering Earth's atmosphere. "Also… as we have no idea about this craft's power source… there is no way to judge how large an impact it will have when it collides with the ground." He stood straighter. "Countless people could die with us." He thought about reports he had read about the mysterious and unexplained explosion that took place over Tunguska, in Siberia Russia, back in 1908. Hundreds of acres of forest land had been flattened by something with the force of more than one thousand Hiroshima bombs.

"What am _I _supposed to do about it?" Kaname sounded miffed at first, but then began to look very worried. He mind flashed back to a day in the past. She was wearing underwear, along with Sousuke's school uniform shirt. Kaname woke up. They were in a forest in Khanka, along with Kurz Weber. Sousuke was fighting with Gauron, but he didn't know how to use the Lambda Driver. She gave him the clues and assistance that he needed. "This…." Images flashed before her eyes. She felt as if she were about to go crazy. "No… I won't let it happen…." She banged her head hard against a wall.

"**Kaname!" **Sousuke moved to hold her up. "What is it?"

"You… you should go… you should go to the control room…." Kaname was wobbly on her feet. _"Hurry!"_ Sousuke helped her walk, heading in the direction that the aliens had come from earlier. They were indeed the only beings left alive on the ship.

"Alright. We're here. Now what?" Sousuke had learned to trust in Kaname's knowledge. He had no idea what Black Technology was, but he was happy to use whatever advantages fell into his hands.

"There…." Kaname pointed. "Reduce output from D'Stridium Reactors…." She seemed to be in some kind of light trance. "Adjust the Trans-Dimensional Particle Flow…." She pointed at various controls as she spoke. "Set the oscillations to run in both directions. Apply the Repulsive Force…."

Sousuke moved to carry out Kaname's instructions, beginning to get a rudimentary idea of what the various levers, touch pads, and orbs did.

"Decrease the number of Plasma Conduits in use… step the power down exponentially…." Kaname closed her eyes, trying to make sense of the words flashing across her thoughts. "Shut off the Gravity Buffers… activate manual aerodynamic controls upon entry to the Mesosphere…."

Sousuke put his piloting skills to a new use. It was a wild ride to say the least, since he was hardly a master of that specific spacecraft. The saucer-shaped ship pitched from side to side, as they headed towards the ground. Knowing all too well what might happen, should he land safely in the middle of Tokyo, he did his best to steer them towards Mithril's island base.

"You can do it, Sousuke." Kaname felt physically and emotionally drained. Eyes half-closed, she stepped behind Sousuke and wrapped her arms around him.

"Uhhh…." Sousuke could feel the softness of Kaname's breasts pressing against his back. He jerked his hand, and the craft rolled over, its internal anti-gravity system dialed off. He remained fast in his seat, but Kaname fell and banged her head on the ceiling of the craft before he righted it. Then, she hit the floor hard with her rump.

"**_SOUSUKE!" _**Kaname didn't sound too happy.

The next few minutes seemed like an eternity. Eventually, Sousuke had the strange vehicle plowing up huge waves of water, as it hit the ocean surface not too far from the shore of Merida base. They were both safe. Well, hearing Kaname mumbling behind him, Sousuke corrected his thoughts, saying they were both _alive. _Before that day, five nations on earth had alien technology hidden away. Now, Mithril had a flying saucer of its own.

"You saved us again, Kaname." Sousuke frowned when the ship submerged, bubbles visible everywhere on the vision portals. He wasn't worried. They weren't very deep down. For a Specialist, exit from an undersea craft would be a piece of cake. Then again, he remembered how Kaname had reacted, when the underwater sleds delivered her to the TDD-1 the first time, after they had sky-dived from the small aircraft.

"Of course I did," Kaname said, smiling. Sousuke needed reminders now and then, so he knew who the brains of their pairing was. He better find some good way to express his gratitude! "Don't you forget that, you big idiot."

When the Mithril security team came to see what caused the massive plume of water that had been visible from the buildings near that part of the shoreline, they were shocked to see a bedraggled and soaked Sousuke Sagara emerge from the water, followed by an irate and rather vocal Kaname Chidori. Those men, and the people they immediately reported to, were even more surprised to hear what the two teenagers had brought back to Earth with them.

The debriefings had been somewhat terse. There wasn't a lot that either could report. Kaname fought the idea of returning to the base one day, to teach them what she knew about the mysterious craft. She eventually agreed, after getting the Mithril officials to promise that they wouldn't make Sousuke its exclusive pilot. It was bad enough when he went off fighting in foreign countries. There was no way that she was going to let them send him to foreign planets.

Back in Tokyo, the two made any number of excuses to explain why they weren't at school. Their friends and teacher accepted their story without batting an eye, and things soon seemed to be right back where they were before they had fallen prey to that unexpected bright light. Having suffered through Sousuke's alien movie marathon, Kaname ordered him to spend long hours watching a series of Chick Flicks, starting early one Saturday morning.

Sousuke played the good trooper, sitting through The Bridges of Madison County, What Women Want, Never Been Kissed, Titanic, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding. He didn't complain once, not even when she put on Clueless in his honor. After that movie finished, and it was getting pretty late, she decided that they should watch one more. With each film, she had sat closer and closer to him on the couch. She had placed her head on his shoulder during one. At some point in the next, she took hold of his hand. She nuzzled his neck after that.

"Okay. One more, mister. You've handled this mission very well." Kaname placed a DVD in the machine. She decided to give Souske a spiel, much the way he did with each movies he had forced her to watch. "As Good As It Gets. A 1997 film which tells the story of an obsessive-compulsive, cantankerous, racist, homophobic writer who, because of his anxiety disorder, lives in a world that has shrunk to about the size of his apartment and the books he writes. Despite himself, he becomes friends with his regular waitress, a single mother, and his homosexual neighbor" She tossed her hair so that it covered his face. She smiled when he blew hard, trying to make the hair move. "It's a romantic comedy played out among flawed people in an imperfect and postmodern world. You could be in it. You're flawed. Not me." She waited to see if he would make a remark. He didn't. As a reward, she gave him a quick kiss on the forehead. "It stars Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt."

"No guns. No explosions. No aliens." Sousuke repeated the mantra that Kaname had drilled into him at the start. He thought 'and no fun,' but was wise enough to keep that to himself.

"**Exactly!" **Kaname poked her finger into his chest. "But, you _still_ have to pay attention!" She shook that finger in his face. "There is one line you need to learn." She put the finger on his nose. He nodded his head, a look of resignation on his face. That had her smiling. She was wearing him down. "'I might be the only person on the face of the earth that knows you're the greatest woman on earth. I might be the only one who appreciates how amazing you are in every single thing that you do'."

"I can understand that," Sousuke said, looking up at Kaname. That had her blushing, and her eyes going soft. "But… I cannot understand why you want up to watch all of these movies. You blamed me for our abduction, saying it occurred because we watched films about extraterrestrials. Perhaps after watching all these, we will behave irrationally… act out in an exaggerated emotion… do things like that…."

"And that would be wrong be_cause_…." Kaname raised one eyebrow, having no desire to be lectured by the one person who caused her to act irrational and overly emotional.

"Perhaps we will need to have a tragic accident that impacts our life…." He was interrupted by Kaname who snorted and said 'When are we _not_ involved in some kind of tragic accident?' Continuing, he said "Or we may need to cheat on one another, to gain a new perspective in life, and to find the people we are _truly_ destined to be with." He cocked his head, wondering how Kaname made the strange noise that she did.

"**That's it!" **Kaname reached for the controlled and pushed the Off button. **"That's enough movies for one night!"** She swallowed hard, picturing Tessa. Scowling, she decided she needed to do something to get Sousuke's attention in a big way. Big stupid head!

Suddenly, there was a strange pulsating noise. They could both feel faint vibrations where they sat. The room became awash with bright lights coming in through the window. She jumped up, slipped, and fell onto Sousuke's lap. She began trembling on purpose, pressing her body tight against his. That ought to get him feeling somewhat frantic. He wouldn't be thinking about any other girls.

"It's just a…." Sousuke intended to inform Kaname that the sound was merely a police helicopter, making a low level sweep for some reason. He never had a chance.

"**IT'S THEM!" **Kaname fought back a smile. It was her turn to play. She would never forget Sousuke's little act he put on for those alien freaks. **"IT'S MORE OF THOSE ALIENS!"**

"I do not think…." Sousuke couldn't get any more words in edgewise.

Kaname wrapped her arms around his neck tightly. Her breath was in his ear now. **"WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!" **She stood up, ran to slip her shoes back on, and then grabbed her purse.

"Kaname, there is no reason to be frightened." Sousuke watched Kaname's hurried actions. "As I was trying to tell you, the noise and lights come from a…." He was cut-off again.

"I… the noise…." Kaname crouched down, hands over her ears. The room was dead silent now. There was no noise. "It's some kind of signal… I can't make out the words…." She jerked upward in robotic fashion. She knew just what tack she was going to take. It was a bit too risqué for her; but, one has to break a few eggs to make the perfect omelet. That big doofus had said something like 'she's the last female on earth that I would have sex with.' Idiot. Jerk. Stupid head.

"Kaname…." Sousuke stood up. He wondered if Kaname was under some kind of terrestrial attack. Was there some kind of device that could affect the Whispered, but leave normal humans untouched? Might an enemy Whispered with strong metal abilities be projecting harmful thoughts into her mind? As usual, he did not even consider that she might be play acting, even though he had recently used subterfuge to defeat the unsuspecting aliens.

"They…." Kaname kicked off her shoes. "They programmed me…." She slowly slid off one stocking, and then the other. "They put things in my head, when we were onboard ship…." She reached around and undid both the button and zipper on her skirt. She took that off and let it fall to the floor. "Reproductive experiments… repeated mating… genomic combination…." She slid off her blouse, almost calling off the game. She was a good girl. She was embarrassed. She was cold. Her nipples grew hard. She could tell that Sousuke noticed that by the 'deer in the headlights' look on his face. He stumbled backwards, falling back on his rear end on the couch. "I can't fight it…." She began walking in his direction slowly, seductively. "I don't think that I _want_ to fight it…." She reached around as if she were about to unhook her bra.

"K-… K-… K-…." Sousuke couldn't take his eyes off of Kaname.

She almost lost it then and there. Sousuke Sagara. He had stood up against Gauron. He had taken down that loony psycopath Gates. He had defeated Tessa's pretty boy brother. He had dealt with alien abductors. But, there he was, rendered helpless by the thought of a girl undressing.

"**GIVE**… **IT**… **TO**… **ME**…." Kaname used her athletic ability to leap over her coffee table and land on Sousuke's lap.

"Ka… naaaa-aaa-aa-a… me…." Sousuke put his hands on both of her shoulders, trying to lift her weight off of him. "Wait…."

"Hah!" Kaname sat up, a big grin on her face. "I _got_ you!" Her voice rang with triumph. "You fell for it!" She was so pumped up, that she forgot that she was down to her bra and panties. She stood back up and put one foot up on the couch, striking a victorious pose.

Souske stared at that leg, much the way he had when she had struck a similar posture onboard that train, back when he was following her around at the beginning of his Tokyo mission, claiming that everything was a 'coincidence'. But, there was much more for him to see this time. He began sweating heavily. Soon, he was wetter than he had been when Kaname brought over the food to apologize, and saw Tessa wrapped in the towel.

"Huh?" Kaname wondered what was up with Sousuke. Then it struck her. Every inch of her exposed skin turned bright red. Two plans immediately presented themselves. The practical one… the one that she would follow 99.9 percent of the time… involved her getting her clothes back on as quickly as she could, before smacking the heck out of Sousuke for looking. She vetoed that plan mentally, just the way that she had nixed Sousuke's suicidal plan back in Khanka. "Like what you see, _do_ you?" She put her hands on her hips, an angry look on her face.

"Uhhh…." What other possible answer could Sousuke give?

"**Good for you!" **Kaname jumped on him again, snuggling up close to him. She trusted Sousuke not to take things too far. She might be scantily clad and acting a bit out of character, but that was not an invitation for anything too serious! Just the same, she did want to move there relationship along a little bit further.

"I… you…." Sousuke fought the urge to put his arms around Kaname. He knew what his heart wanted. He was very much aware what his body wanted. But, he wasn't certain what his mind knew to be right.

"Don't you care about me, Sousuke?" Kaname sat up some, so she could see his face.

"Yes… I…." Kaname swallowed hard. That was because a part of him had grown rather hard. If Kaname noticed, she'd probably stomp him worse than any Drill Sergeant ever could.

"You want to be here with me, _don't _you?" Kaname convinced herself that it was alright to do this. As long as hey didn't end up having sex, anything that happened was okay, right? If the episode aboard the alien saucer had taught her anything, it was that people should enjoy the moment they are in, because there is no telling what tomorrow might bring.

"Affirmative." Sousuke nodded his head. There was no other place that he would rather be.

"Fine!" Kaname smiled. She lay back down against him, eyes closed, her heartbeat loud in her ears. "Good!" She made a sound in her throat. It reminded Sousuke of the purring noise that cats make. "_This_ kind of Close Encounter will do you lots of good."

Sousuke remained silent. He put his arms around Kaname and pulled her closer, breathing in her natural fragrance.

He knew better than to argue.

_**END**_


End file.
